Odd Jobs

Field Reports of the Strange and Unique from the Black Cells of the CRS

Aleksei Zharkov, Personal Diary, 4th day of the Ozeal of Khardovus (11/10/12)

22

NOV/12

I arrived in Corvis at the Brass Spanner on the first of this week. I was not sure of the location when I entered. It was seedy, decrepit, and absolutely disgusting. We were escorted through multiple underground cesspools of the worst of Corvis until being seated in a dark room. I was introduced to the, possibly incorrigible Jebidiah LaForteen, a suggested law man from some fringe community, and the Gobber Rudolph Mengah, who insists he is a tenured professor at the Corvis university. We are three of the four members of the first Stranger’s Cell. Our handler introduced himself as Captain Regibald.

Our first mission is set for riding a train for Caspia and meeting the fourth member of our cell. A deep cover operative by the name of Brom Streusgardt (atleast today). Once in Caspia we have to identify the root cause of the Plight of the Polaris, a trade ship which returned under exceptionally questionable circumstances from the continent of Zu, and resolve it. It had been a non-violent trade/scholarly expedition. When it occured all crew were dead/dismemebered and the ship crashed into the docks. When the deckhands went aboard they were attacked by some sort of beast or spirit. This has led to the constant and conflict oriented Union Rallies at the docks.

The beast effectively is described as Fangs, Claws, See through walls, and covered in slime. To me it sounded as if it were some vicious hunting beast which could step between the planes of Caen and Urcaen like the strange albino wolfmen of the Devourer Worshippers.

As we arrived in Caspia we met up with Brom. He and Jebidiah have some kind of history and drew guns on eachother. Hwoever pointing to the absurdity of the Cygnaran populace, while they drew weapons and argued, my armor of the order drew more attention and possibly violent murmurs. We were worried we would not make it to the Salty Maiden, so instead Brom took us to the raucous Golden Gamble. After Jebidiah nearly got us in trouble with the Proprietor, who tried to cheat us, and then Brom overpaid her (I will never understand Southernors) we discussed how to get through the Rallies. There seems to be a more villainous motives as there are people inciting the Rallies to riot.

We discussed a few options for getting into the Port which convinced me Rudolph, is not just a Gobber professor but some sort of mad man. He has an intelligence that skirts the line between madness and brilliance. Regardless, cooler heads prevailed and we approached the dock. After narrowly avoiding an all out brawl with some of the foremen, we spoke with the owner of the docks. Brom’s excellent work with his cover managed to sway the owner and permit us entry. When we entered we noticed an empty stall with the laborjacks. We were lead by a man Brom recognized as a rabble rouser. He was then murdered by Brom quite deftly, and they searched him for keys.

We boarded the Polaris and it was smeared with ectoplasmic residue. It appeared that a monster had spasmically moved around the ships based on blood pools and smeared ectoplasm. Furthermore, it seemed to have drug people below deck through the deck itself. We entered the Captain’s Quarters and found it completely wrecked. We found his corpse gripping him log book in a trunk. The log book had huge claw marks in it. When I removed the book, I could hear a voice “Om Shaka”.

Reading the entries of the log, there was trouble on the way back from Zu. The crew couldn’t sleep, and soon there were a couple of suicides. The crew wanted to make things ‘right’ but this is not expanded on. 6 days later the creature was in all of their dreams, and then manifesting. It started by throwing things around in the shadows, then picking off one crew member at a time. Before long, the crew turned on itself, and only a couple of loyalists stuck with the captain.

The last entry stated that it hunts below decks. Soon only the captain and first mate were alive. The beast killed them however the book stated “It’s name is OmChaka and it wants it back!”

We went below deck and Rudolph produced bottled light. We found a body with pictographs expertly etched into the flesh of the corpses’ back. The body was mutilated and difficult to identify. There are three image repeated, a door opening, People going through a door, and a strage whale beast. The body was moving as if breathing but ut wasn’t. Whenever it would ‘exhale’ it whispered Omchaka. I called out to the spirit and it began to glow.
“Omchaka goyo chaka”
“coohaloo” llikely an honorific.

I explain what is happening to the group and then proceed to place my hand on the body and call to the spriit. I could see through Urcaen. A black man with a hand. Honorable adn condemning. Behind him is a great beast which I cannot mentally describe but I know it to be consisting of raw force. I was aware I was chanting “Omchaka Coohaloo”. The man spoke to me, “Well met guardian. I too am a guardian of the Dead.”